Hall of Fame Member Directory

Jose Rijo

Class of 2005

Oakland was the team we wanted to face.

- Rijo on the 1990 World Series. The Reds swept the favored A's and Rijo was the Series MVP, allowing only one run in 15 1/3 innings

Jose Rijo was born in the Dominican Republic in 1965, and he made his Major League debut with the New York Yankees in 1984. He provided a preview of coming attractions by striking out 16 batters in 1986 while pitching for the Oakland A's. He came to the Reds via a trade with the aforementioned Athletics prior to the 1988 season, and he made an immediate impact by winning 13 games and leading the team with a 2.39 ERA. With the help of Rijo's arm, the Reds won the 1990 National League Western Division, and he notched a win and a no-decision in two starts in the NLCS against the Pirates. Rijo held center stage in the 1990 World Series by throwing seven innings of shutout baseball to get the win in Game 1 and allowing only two first-inning hits over 8 1/3 innings en route to a Game 4 win and sweep of the A's. In his two World Series games, Rijo posted a 0.59 ERA and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Series. In 1993, Rijo threw a one-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, and he led the league with 227 strikeouts. In 1995, his career woas interrupted by elbow problems, but he did come back to pitch for the Reds in 2001 and '02. When his playing days came to end, Rijo found himself ranked fifth in Reds history in career strikeouts (1251) and fourth in career ERA (2.83). Jose Rijo was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2005.

Jose Antonio Abreu Rijo

Bats:

Right

Throws:

Right

Height:

6' 1"

Weight:

200

Born:

May 13, 1965, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic

How Acquired:

Traded by the Oakland A's with Tim Birtsas to the Reds for Dave Parker on Dec. 8, 1987